Guy Leech Busts Workout Excuses

Have you ever found yourself putting off a workout because it’s too cold outside? Well, not anymore, because SHESAID has enlisted the help of Australia’s number one fitness guru, Guy Leech, to slam some of the most common excuses for skipping on that crucial winter workout and replace them with easy solutions.

“This is one of my favourite excuses,” says Leech, who suggests making a fool-proof plan to get you out of your warm and cosy bed.

“Put a heater in your room and set it on a timer so it starts cranking twenty minutes before you wake up. Additionally, lay out your workout clothes the night before so you can literally jump out of bed and put them on. If that fails, recruit an exercise buddy and enforce a ‘no cancellation’ policy between you,” he suggests.

I’m hidden under winter woolies, so it doesn’t really matter what I look like.

According to the fitness guru, this is one of the most dangerous excuses you can make. “This sort of excuse is giving yourself permission to let yourself go and besides all the negative health consequences, chances are by the time spring comes around, you’ll be very sorry you skipped all those workouts and feasted on all that winter comfort food,” he warns.

“As little as 15 minutes of exercise is proven to make a difference to your fitness and well-being,” he advises. “Remember, losing weight is far harder than maintaining your healthy weight, so don’t line yourself up behind the eight ball.”

I don’t want to catch a cold!

“This is an old wives tale from way back,” says Leech. “Exercising in the cold doesn’t give you a cold; on the contrary, exercise keeps us fit and healthy, which in turn boosts immunity. So you’re not going to be any healthier by skipping your workout.”

Leech adds that the winter we experience in Australia is nowhere near as intense as other places around the world, where people continue to exercise on a daily basis. “Go to New York in winter and you’ll see countless people rugged up and going for a jog in the snow. We Aussies need to man up!”

It’s dark before and after work, and I don’t like training in the dark.

“This one is a doozy,” says Guy. “If you don’t want to train outside in the dark, no worries – there are tonnes of options for you! Join a gym, go to a local yoga studio, or get on board with an outdoor personal training group,” he says. “If you’re cash strapped and none of those options suit, just grab a buddy and make a plan to meet three mornings or evenings a week to go for a walk or a run.”

I can’t get motivated.

Leech admits that winter can often leave us feeling sluggish and a little down. “Set yourself a goal for the winter that you can focus on – maybe it’s running the City to Surf in August, doing your first mini triathlon in spring, or maybe it’s just increasing the time you can exercise without stopping by 5 minutes a week.”

The PT says that whatever your goal, having something to work towards gives you a solid reason not to skip your workouts and should get you feeling excited as you move closer to achieving your goal, or indeed, achieve it. “Once you’ve chosen your goal, write it down and put it somewhere that you can see every day. Better yet, tell people about it or find someone to go on the journey with you so you can share the experience together,” he says.

Images via Thug Life Shirts, Candies and Crunches, Off She Went, Some Ecards

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